An open letter to Montana Sen. Tim Sheehy:

Senator, let me tell you a little bit about my dad. For as long as I can remember, he has been my hero.

At first, he was my hero just because he was my dad. Every boy idolizes his father at a young age. But the more I got to know my dad, the more heroic he became in my eyes.

In 1967, my dad volunteered for the military draft. If you read your history books, you know that was right in the peak of the Vietnam War.

That war, remember, was sold to the American people as a war against communism. He signed up to fight those commies.

While many young men my dad’s age ran to Canada and many more hid from the war in college, my dad volunteered to serve the country that he loved. He volunteered knowing that it could very well be a death sentence, or worse.

That is a damn American hero in my book. In any book.

He was following in the footsteps of his father, who walked away from his spot as the starting quarterback for the Butte Central football team to join the Navy in 1943. My grandpa was not going to waste his time playing football when he could help save the world from Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.

Now that he is 77 years old, my dad is still my hero. Like when he was 18, he is still always ready and willing to stand up for what he believes is right. He does that every Friday from noon to 1 p.m. as he holds a sign to peacefully protest outside your office in Butte.

I know. I know. You are probably surprised to learn you have an office in Butte, but that is beside the point.

Those protests are organized by a group called Indivisible Butte. It is a chapter of the national organization. My dad is not involved in the planning of events, and he does not go to meetings. He just goes to exercise his constitutionally-protected right to assemble once a week.

Somehow, those protesters triggered you to attack a lot of good people, including my dad.

For those who did not read them, here are the words you used on a social media post to blast my dad and his fellow patriots of Indivisible:

“If you have an Indivisible chapter in your town, that means you have a communist insurgent operation in your backyard — funded by anti-American dark money with the sole purpose of tearing the U.S. apart.”

That statement is wrong on so many levels, and it is certainly unbecoming of a United States senator. It is dangerous propaganda from a senator meant to quash free speech.

Let’s start with the part about being paid by dark money. These are just everyday citizens who never receive a dime to protest. In fact, I would guess that somewhere between 99 percent and 100 percent of those protesting are also in favor of the non-partisan Montana Plan initiative that would end dark money in Montana elections.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’ve never heard you say a word to back up that great plan to combat that awful Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court in 2010. So, spare us the dark money talk.

Now about the part about calling them anti-American and saying that they are trying to tear apart the country.

These people are protesting things like Putin dropping bombs on Ukraine, endless wars in the Middle East, politicians trying to cut Social Security and Medicare, the overreach for power by the executive branch and ICE agents kidnapping people off the streets.

I am interested in which one of those causes is most upsetting to you. Which one is the most un-American?

Or is it simply way they express their opinion? Judging by your vote on that $1.8 billion slush fund, you might be more comfortable if, instead of peacefully holding signs, they beat police officers with flag poles, tactical batons and hockey sticks.

You see, the thing that you do not get is that these people protesting outside your office are, in fact, demonstrating a great deal of patriotism.

They do not cause disturbances. They do not break any laws. They do not yell back when people drive by and yell at them or flip them off. They do not retaliate when knuckleheads drive by and spray them with the black smoke from their diesel trucks.

They do not demand that people agree with them. They simply hold their signs and waive at those who honk to support them.

These people realize that peacefully protesting is as American as apple pie. They get that such demonstrations have accomplished a whole lot more than most wars. Peaceful protests have brought us things like civil rights, voting rights for women, labor rights and equality.

If you disagree with what they are protesting, then you have the right to tell them they are wrong. You, too, have the right to free speech.

What is un-American, however, is telling lies about people you disagree with. What is un-American is calling them names from 2,000 miles away. Speech like yours can, and usually does, lead to violence.

Plus, the irony of your words is way off the charts.

It is also cowardice for a senator to lie about constituents like that. The same could be said for Rep. Ryan Zinke, who called the same group bullies and said they were intimidating people from using the Social Security office last spring during a rally on Harrison Avenue.

They were there to try to protect Social Security. Rep. Zinke knew he could not win a debate with logic and reason. He did not have the words to convince them to vote against their own interests, so he did what you did. He hid behind a statement as he told a bold-faced lie.

Neither of you are better than the internet bullies who hide behind a screen name.

The thing is, this is not about being a Democrat or a Republican. It has nothing to do with left vs. right. It is about integrity and decency. It is about being a stand-up guy instead of a weasel.

You are not engaging in spirited debate. You are slandering good people because you lack the ability to engage in meaningful, honest conversation.

Obviously, you disagree with the agenda of Indivisible, and that is fair. That doesn’t hurt anybody’s feelings. I don’t agree with everything they say. Neither does my dad.

Unlike you, however, the folks at Indivisible believe that everyone has the right to express an opinion without a government official — or anybody else — trying to intimidate them. They know that only cowards try to silence voices to the contrary.

So, Sen. Sheehy, I will close by inviting you to an Indivisible rally outside your office for some real conversation. That office is in the Silver Bow Center at 125 W. Granite Street. It is on the corner of Alaska Street. Your driver can punch the address into the GPS navigational system, and it will take you right there.

The protesters are there every Friday from noon to 1 p.m.

Go there and tell those people to their face that they are un-American. I dare you, Senator, to look into the eyes of the man who volunteered for the military draft in 1967 as you call him a commie.

Make that a double dog dare.

— Bill Foley, who will never commit a breach of etiquette and skip directly to a triple dog dare, can be reached at foles74@gmail.com. Follow him at twitter.com/Foles74 or Bluesky at @foles74.bsky.social. Listen to him on the ButteCast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.